DECRIMINALIZATION WILL INCREASE PROBLEMS WITH POT - POLICE CHIEF

Relaxing Canadian laws on pot possession will lead to more social
problems, Medicine Hat's police chief said.

Police Chief Norm Boucher said the federal government's bill to
decriminalize marijuana would put more stress on police officers who
didn't have the resources to deal with the problem.

"They don't provide enough funds for cops to address the drug problem,
this is not going to serve the community well."

He said there was a real problem with citizens smoking pot and driving
and that police did not have legal means to combat the problem.

"We've had some drivers that said they've had a few joints; they know
there's nothing we can do about it.

"I think they have to consider impaired drivers, we're very restricted
with things like blood tests."

He said that the city already had a problem with hard drugs such as
crack and cocaine and that decriminalizing marijuana could lead to
increased use of harder drugs.

"As a society we have major problems with alcohol. We know that this
(marijuana) is a stepping stone to harder drugs. Who's going to
control this?"

The federal bill to decriminalize marijuana was introduced into
parliament late last May and calls for lighter penalties for those
found to be in possession of 15 grams or less of the plant.

If the bill passes, adults caught with 15 grams or less of marijuana
will be given a ticket and face a fine of up to $400 for adults and
$250 for youth.

Department of Justice Canada spokesperson Patrick Charette said the
proposed bill was designed to free up resources spent combating
marijuana possession so that law enforcement officials could combat
harder drugs.

"The whole objective of cannabis reform is to dedicate police
resources to grow operations and major drugs that are more difficult
to deal with such as amphetamines, crack and cocaine."

"The ticketing scheme that we are proposing will allow us to treat
possession as a minor offense. This will allow the resources in the
justice system to be used more effectively."

Currently there are an estimated 600,000 Canadians who have a criminal
record for marijuana possession.

He said the government had also increased penalties for marijuana grow
operations and has introduced a bill to combat drug-impaired drug offenses.

Bill C-16 was introduced into Parliament on Nov. 1 and aims to allow
law enforcement officials the authority to perform roadside drug testing.

"We're doubling the maximum penalty for grow operations from seven to
14 years. Police could administer a field test," Charette said.

He said marijuana had been proven to be less harmful than serious
drugs such as cocaine and heroine so the federal government's proposal
to decriminalize the plant was a responsible and realistic look at law
enforcement.

In May of 2002 a long-standing special Senate Committee on Illegal
Drugs concluded a year-long investigation into the Canadian drug trade.

The head of the committee, Senator Pierre Claude Nolin, summarized the
committee's conclusions on marijuana that were based on scientific
evidence. The committee concluded:

"Marijuana is not a gateway (stepping stone) to harder drugs such as
cocaine and heroin."

"Cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol and should be
treated not as a criminal issue but as a social and public health issue."

"A lot of public money is spent on law enforcement, even though
public policies don't seem to discourage use."